I seem to moan every year (see here for the recipe and here for more moaning!) about how I hate making jam because I’m never confident that I’ve got that elusive “set”. This year was no exception!
This is only some of it....
...this was the whole output:
I made loads of jam as we’ve had such a bumper crop on the tree. This amount of damsons (some 7lbs!) took minutes to pick – here they are fresh from the tree and unwashed:
It was almost like a moment from Jaws as I thought to myself in a panic, “We’re gonna need a bigger pan” but I got away with it:
Hopefully you noticed my rather elaborate foil lay out in the photo above. It’s my top tip whenever you’re making something that bubbles and spits – cover the surrounding area with foil, then, at the end, you simply screw up the foil and throw it away and don’t have to wipe sticky jam off your hob and work tops.
This year’s jam has a lovely fruity taste and a soft set – more like a French conserve. I’m sure it will provide most welcome memories of summer in the heart of winter!
I make strawberry jam every year and even though I use a jam thermometer, I'm still never sure about the setting point!
ReplyDeleteHow lucky to have fresh damsons to make ALL OF THAT JAM.
Yum! I could happy eat this by the spoon any day.
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous of your damson tree, what a lovely lot of fruit you got. I think your jam looks perfect, I much prefer it with a softer set, easier to spread and dollop onto yummy cakes and scones. Great tip with the tin foil - I will definietly be using it
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